Austin Colby steps into the green light of the title role, taking over the North American tour of The Great Gatsby for a limited engagement that officially opened during the Philadelphia press night on October 21.
The transition marks a homecoming of sorts within the production family for Colby, who previously originated the role of Tom Buchanan and served as an understudy for Jay Gatsby during the show’s initial Broadway run. His extensive theater credits also include performances in Masquerade and Jersey Boys, alongside national tours of Disney’s Frozen as Hans and The Sound of Music as Rolf.
“It was a pleasure to have Austin in our original Broadway company, and I’m thrilled that audiences across the country will now get to experience his charismatic, enigmatic and extremely well sung Gatsby in the coming weeks,” said director Marc Bruni in a statement reported by Broadway.com.
Colby steps into a touring ensemble that features Senzel Ahmady as Daisy Buchanan, Joshua Grosso as Nick Carraway, and Leanne Robinson as Jordan Baker. The principal company also includes Will Branner taking over the role of Tom Buchanan, alongside Lila Coogan as Myrtle Wilson, Tally Sessions as George Wilson, and Edward Staudenmayer as Meyer Wolfsheim.
The musical features a book by Kait Kerrigan, who earned the Jonathan Larson Grant, alongside music and lyrics penned by Tony Award nominees Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen.
Staging is led by Marc Bruni with choreography by Dominique Kelley. The production also carries accolades from its Broadway tenure, including the 2024 Tony Award for Best Costume Design awarded to Linda Cho, and the 2024 Broadway.com Audience Choice Award for Favorite New Musical.
The extensive national tour is produced by Chunsoo Shin, OD Company, and NETworks Presentations, with Mark Shacket and Trinity Wheeler serving as executive producers. International management is handled by Foresight Theatrical.
Musical supervision and arrangements are overseen by Jason Howland, with orchestrations co-written by Howland and Kim Scharnberg. The touring orchestra is led by musical director Charlie Alterman.
